CLARK – ANGLO SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND THE ORIGINS OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001EQ4OLA/ref=tsm_1_fb_lkGREGORY CLARK – ANGLO SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND THE ORIGINS OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION.

“A Farewell to Arms) discusses the divide between rich and poor nations that came about as a result of the Industrial Revolution in terms of the evolution of particular behaviors originating in Britain. Prior to 1790, Clark asserts, man faced a Malthusian trap: new technology enabled greater productivity and more food, but was quickly gobbled up by higher populations.”

“In Britain, however, as disease continually killed off poorer members of society, their positions in society were taken over by the sons of the wealthy. By that according to Clark less violent, more literate and more hard-working behaviour were spread culturally and biologically throughout the population. This process of “downward social mobility” eventually enabled Britain to attain a rate of productivity that allowed it to break out of the Malthusian trap. Clark sees this process also til today as the major factor why some countries are poor and others are rich.”

COMMENT

Now, you might not make the same association. But what I see is that immigration prevents downward rotation. It just promotes dissatisfaction. A body politics is BOTH an extended family AND a system of production. And you cannot just assume the latter universally trumps the former.